Flight
by cosmic-omni
Summary: "Never fear, my darling, of taking flight." Both a pre and post Skyward Sword one-shot focused on Zelda's perspective and growth. Enjoy! (Very Slight Zelink)


**Hey everyone!**

 **I really don't have much of an explanation for this one-shot. Basically, I decided I should write poetry so this whole rhyme came to mind and it ended up inspiring me to write whatever this is.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy :)**

 **Leave a review if you get the chance, I'd love to know what you think!**

* * *

She is brave for a little girl.

At least, that's what they say to her father when they pass him by on the way to the goddess statue that day. They all also say that she's cute and friendly but the brave word sticks with her. She doesn't really understand this since Loftwings scare her a lot and sometimes she has nightmares, and then she isn't really that brave at all. Her father shakes their hands and laughs loudly, saying he knows she is and he's very proud. It gives her a happy feeling when he says he's proud so she smiles too and everything is okay.

Today is the Nestling Ceremony, which is where she and all of her friends are each getting their own Loftwing, and that scared feeling comes back to her again once they stand in front of the crowd that gathers in the courtyard. Her father says something to the goddess and everyone goes quiet, closing their eyes until he turns to them.

Her back goes straight and she straightens out her dress, because her father sounds really smart and serious and it makes her feel like she has to be, too.

There are rules to the ceremony, he says. Every one of her friends is going to stand in front of the goddess statue and say some things, and then She will give them a bird from the sky and it'll be their friend forever. He doesn't say it exactly like that, but she's sure that's what he meant.

Her eyes find her very best friend in the crowd and so, when her father stops talking, she pulls on his red scarf and asks if she can go see him. He laughs a little - she doesn't know why - and then he says she's free to go if she wants, but she has to be quick. Her white dress floats around her a little when she runs and her shoes skid against the stone when she collides into the little boy who stands with all the others.

None of her friends are really scared of Loftwings like she is. Karane thinks that the colors are pretty and Link always says that he likes them for some reason that he never tells her, but they're big and squawk really loud and they fly really high. She doesn't see what there is to like about that.

Her fingers fiddle with the loose thread on her very pretty white dress, one her father made just for the day, and she asks Link if he's excited. He nods happily because the strange boy doesn't talk very much and so she says she's nervous because she's afraid he won't ask. His smile goes away and he looks at her like he wants her to explain so she says that she doesn't know if she's ready to fly or not.

He finally says something and that's that she's really brave so she can fly if she really wants to. She's ready to say that she _doesn't_ really want to - at least not right now - but her father calls to her, and says she needs to come back with him.

She feels bad that Link isn't smiling anymore so she gives him a big grin to make him happy before she goes back to her father's side.

Many of the other kids get their birds first, and feathers of all colors; yellow, brown, and green start falling from the sky. Zelda learns not to doubt Karane that day because she was right when she said they're really pretty.

It's Link's turn to get his own Loftwing, and even though she gets a little bit excited, that nervous feeling comes back and she goes to hold her fathers hand. He squeezes it but she doesn't look at him because her wide eyes are on the big bird that comes swooping down in front of her very best friend. This one is red, _really red_ , and it's bigger than any other she has ever seen. He looks really happy and she wants to be happy too, but she can't help frowning a little when he gets on the bird so easy.

She doesn't see how he's so brave, and she thinks that maybe if he likes the bird so much and she can't be it's friend too, then maybe she'll be left out and he won't want to be her friend anymore.

He climbs on it's back because he isn't scared like she is and looks really happy when he smiles to her, so she feels like she should smile too. The birds wings' flapping makes her blonde hair fly in front of her face and into her mouth, and she really wishes that she listened to her father when he told her to tie her hair up for the day.

When she pulls her hair behind her pointy ears, she sees that Link flew into the sky with the many other birds and she can hear them all laughing in the distance.

She doesn't know why, but she gets the gross feeling in her stomach like someone kicked her.

After a very short time, it's her turn. Her heart beats so fast she can hear it in her ears as she approaches the statue and recites the words her father told her to. When she turns on her heel, she sees that her father and all the other people who said she's brave smile at her, but for some reason, she still feels really scared.

The sound of flapping can be heard from far away when a bright blue bird blocks out the light of the sun. It flies down to stand in front of her and cocks its head to see her clearly, and she can see her reflection in its big black eyes.

The bird is really pretty, she realizes; its blue like the sky but it has pretty pink and green feathers at the tip of its wings. She almost wants to touch it and she holds her hand out a little as if she's ready to, but it squawks really loudly and blows the hair right out of her face. Her ears hurt and her heart pounds so she takes a couple steps back.

It doesn't understand that she's afraid. The bird follows her and this makes her even more nervous until she feels hands on her shoulders. She turns around - just her head because she doesn't trust this bird yet - and sees her father standing there. He smiles a little and Zelda can feel some of her fear going away.

"Never fear, my darling," he says, "of taking flight."

His words are nice and he sounds smart when he says them so maybe he's right. Her eyes look up at the sky and she can see that no one has fallen off yet and they all sound like they're having fun.

She wants to have fun too and she knows Link is up there and she might lose him if she doesn't fly too.

So she looks to the Loftwing really suddenly and straightens herself out again. Her feet stomp towards the bird who waits patiently, and even though she's afraid it might scare her again, it doesn't squawk or move. Slowly, she reaches out to the golden beak and when her fingers touch it, she realizes it's really smooth. When her hand settles on it, she finally lets out a breath she was holding in for a while.

Her father helps tie a belt around the Loftwing so she can hold on, and as she climbs onto its back, she touches the blue feathers. They're really soft and the bird smells really good, like fresh air and birds' nests, and so she feels just a little bit comfortable.

Her father smiles at her, nods, and promises she will be okay. Since promising's a really big thing, she decides to trust him and sets off into the sky. The wind is cool and feels really good under her hair and on her neck, and Skyloft looks really small from up high.

Karane says her Loftwing is really pretty – not as pretty as hers – but Zelda likes her own very much.

Link looks relieved when he sees that she joins them and he leads his own Loftwing to hers like he already finds flying easy, and that knot in her stomach returns. It's not very fair that he's really good at flying but he promises to help her if she needs it and everything is okay.

When the day's over, Zelda will say that she likes flying very much and maybe she is brave after all.

* * *

She's flying on her Loftwing back to Skyloft after a very long time. She doesn't remember when she last flew on her bird or when she visited the island she grew up in, but she guesses it must've been many months and her stomach knots when she sees the village on the horizon.

Link smiles from on top his crimson bird and she returns it because he's already worried enough about her, but he knows that she's nervous– he always knows – and flies over to her easily.

She admits that she's nervous, just a little bit, because she hasn't seen her friends from Skyloft in a very long time and she doesn't know how her father is going to react to their news. The boy – _man_ – shakes his head and his dirty blond hair bounces from the movement. He says that they miss her and can't wait to see her, and she's brave so she will be okay. She nods a little because his words really do comfort her but she still feels tense when they land in front of the second floor of the academy.

Skyloft looks different than it did when she last was there because the goddess statue she once visited every morning is no longer at the edge of the island. The giant gap filled with sky makes it look strange – naked even - and sends some sort of raking feeling down her back.

Her Loftwing clops its talons on the cobblestones before settling, lying down so she doesn't have to jump from really high. Still, Link comes to her side immediately, takes her hand, and helps her down because he always helps her and he's also really good at it. She thanks him but it comes out way more sincerely than it should've because every thank you she sends to him will hold all of the gratitude she has for him from now on.

It scares her to think so seriously but now she has Hylia's wisdom bouncing around her mind and there's really no help to that.

Link doesn't let go of her hand when he leads her towards the many people who gathered around the plaza. Her father's at the head of them all, and even though he's already met with her down on the surface, he beams so bright he almost looks like he's going to cry.

Her father approaches her and grabs them both in a spine-breaking hug, but Link still doesn't let go of her hand and she doesn't want him to.

Everyone's attention lands on both Zelda and her hero, and she feels nervous because their stares aren't as friendly as they once were.

They ask a lot of questions but she doesn't have what it takes to answer all of them. Link actually answers most of them, which is strange because the boy – _man_ – never used to talk a lot before and she wonders how he suddenly has gotten so brave.

When they stop asking questions, the sky's already dark and she still has to speak with her father. Link, as kind as always, offers to go with her but she tells him she wants to talk to him alone even if she doesn't mean it. He nods and smiles a little, squeezing her hand before letting it go.

The crowd disperses and she runs between the throng of people, white dress floating around a little bit as she runs and sandals squeaking against the ground when she skids to a stop, eyes finding him beside the Light Tower. He speaks to one of the men who once called her brave but dismisses himself from the conversation when he sees Zelda approach. Her heart beats wildly in her chest as her fingers clench and unclench irregularly, and she finds herself in front of him.

Her lips purse and her eyes close when he asks if there is anything wrong. She doesn't know why she feels like crying; this is exciting and new and she's been wishing for this ever since she first hopped on her Loftwing and learned how much more to Skyloft there is.

Finally, her eyes and mouth open and the news spills out of her lips before she can stop it.

His eyes widen a bit and she cannot tell if he's offended or surprised by the way his bushy eyebrows rise. The moment stretches on and feels still all at the same time before he puts his large hands on her shoulders.

He smiles a little and Zelda can feel some of her fear going away.

"Never fear, my darling, of taking flight."


End file.
